Slightly more than a year after the City of Toronto released pre-approved designs to speed up the process of building garden and laneway suites, the plans have only been used in a handful of building permit applications.
asserted
plans → release → applications
As of Sept. 30, the designs have been used in three applications, according to data shared with the Star by the city.
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designs → use → city
Of those, only two were approved.
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two → approve → those
The limited uptake shows the initiative might help some residents looking to build garden or laneway suites, developers say, but is not enough on its own to boost housing densification in the city.
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developers → show → city
In a statement to the Star, the city said it considers the launch of the designs to be a “success,” and that it is focused on raising awareness about the plans.
“The pre-approved plans that are offered at no cost are only one component of the City’s broader effort to support housing choice and streamline approvals,” wrote Kamal Gogna, the city’s chief building official.
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Gogna → say → approvals
Reaction to the proposed compromise was equally contentious, with some calling it good planning
A fraction of permit applications
The city’s “made-in-Toronto” designs for garden and laneway suites were released in July 2025 to speed up new housing in existing neighbourhoods.
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designs → propose → neighbourhoods
The plans meet the Ontario Building Code and are free to use.
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plans → meet → Code
But the few times they have been used make up a sliver of the number of building permit applications for garden and laneway suites submitted in the last year.
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they → use → year
To compare, between July 2025 and Sept. 30 this year, the city said it has issued a total of 655 permits for garden and laneway suites, including the two permits issued for the applications using the city’s plans.
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it → compare → plans
Sean Galbraith, the president of urban planning firm Galbraith & Associates, said he is not surprised by the limited uptake on the city’s designs.
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he → say → designs
“Three people trying to get them approved is more than I was expecting,” Galbraith said.
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Galbraith → try → ?
“I assumed it would be zero.”
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it → assume → ?
Why aren’t the plans being used?
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plans → use → ?
Having access to free designs is great, developers say, but they just might not work for many homeowners looking to build.
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they → have → homeowners
Part of the issue is that the plans are standardized, but Toronto’s lots vary significantly in shape and size.
Have a backyard home and hoping for a quick sale?
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lots → vary → sale
Experts say you’ll likely be disappointed.
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you → say → ?
Experts say you’ll likely be disappointed.
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you → say → ?
“Every lot is very, very specific,” said Steven Hover, the managing director of Hutly, a company that designs and builds garden suites in Toronto.
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that → say → Toronto
The plans may not fit many lots, he said, because of the layout, slope, or location of fences and trees.
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he → fit → fences
There are few free designs available, Hover noted, and modifications are not allowed.
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modifications → be → ?
Once changes are made to a city of Toronto plan, it is no longer pre-
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it → make → plan
Gogna said the city designed the plans to “fit on as many Toronto properties as possible.”
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city → say → properties
The designs can speed up a permitting process that takes a month or two and offer some savings, said Brandon Gasner, operations manager of garden and laneway suite builder 2x2 Construction.
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Gasner → speed → Construction
But the savings are small compared to the overall costs and time spent on a project.
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savings → compare → project
“It’s great that they’re free drawings to save a few thousand dollars,” he said.
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he → ’ → dollars
“But we’re talking projects that are hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
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that → talk → dollars
How else could the city encourage these suites?
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city → encourage → suites
Developers say the city could take other steps to encourage garden and laneway suites.
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city → say → suites
While it could lower fees linked to permit applications, Gasner said, the city is limited in what it can do to lower costs.
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it → lower → costs
That’s why provincial incentives like the HST rebate are key, he said.
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he → ’ → rebate
The zoning bylaw needs to be updated to better accommodate garden and laneway suites, Galbraith said, because the existing rules are “still too prohibitive.”
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rules → need → ?
He pointed to an open backyard space requirement for grass and trees as an example of the bylaw not prioritizing the construction of more housing.
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He → point → housing
“If we want housing to be the priority, then we have to make housing the priority at the expense of other good things.”
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housing → want → things
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